Mërgim Brahimi

Mërgim Brahimi was born on the 8th August 1992. He is a professional footballer from Albania. He plays the role of a midfielder for his club Grasshopper Zürich in the Swiss Super League. He is a member of the Albanian national team. 

source of picture: asport.info

Early Life

Brahimi was born in Istok, in FR Yugoslavia to Kosovar Albanian parents. He resided in Istok for two years before he relocated to Zurich in Switzerland together with his mother and his brother and two sisters because of the growing tension that was in Kosovo. Before they left, his father had been staying in Switzerland for some years and he was a Gastarbeiter. When they got to Switzerland he signed for the local football team FC Red Star Zürich in the year 1997 before he was found by the giant team Grasshopper Zürich in the year 2007. 

Youth Club Career

At the age of 5, Brahimi registered with the local football club in the location, FC Red Star Zürich before he was found by Grasshopper Zurich in the year 2007. He was promoted to the rank of youth football when he got Grasshopper Zurich and finally he joined the Under-21 team of the club in the year 2010. In the Under-21 team, he scored 3 goals for the club after 32 games that he played. 

Career in Grasshopper Zürich

Brahimi played his first match for the club in the match against the city rivals, FC Zurich on the 2nd October, 2011. He was brought into the game in the 21st minute of the game and he made a great impact in the game and he was later abandoned because of the FC Zürich fan violence. The game ended 3-0 in favor of his club.

Brahimi started his first game for the club in the second round of the Schweizer Cup in a match that was played against FC Chiasso on 16th October 2011. He stated the match and was replaced in the 77th minute of the game and his team won the game 1-0. 

Brahimi scored his first goal for his club on the 28th Jult 2012 in the game that played against FC Basel; his goal came three minutes after he was brought into the game in the 80th minute of the match. 

International Career

Being from Kosovo with parents that came from Albania in and raised in Switzerland, Brahimi can play for the three nations, Switzerland, Albania and Kosovo if they should form a national team. In March 2011, he reacted to the invitation of the Albanian Under-21 national team coach Artan Bushati for a friendly match that was not official in Slovenia. 

On the 26th August, 2011, he was invited by the Under-20 national team of Switzerland but he declined they offer and decided to play for the Albanian national team. Officially he got the citizenship of Albania on the 26th August 2011 together with his team mate in Grasshopper Imran Bunjaku, to play for the country in the UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifiers.

He got his first invitation from the senior national team of the country for a friendly match that was to be played against Qatar and Iran in May 2012 by Gianne De Biasi.